The RMS St. Helena is a 128-passenger, cargo and mail ship serving all the needs of the South Atlantic island of St. Helena, a British dependency accessible only by sea. The ship carries many St. Helenians to and from their jobs overseas, some British officials, and visitors who would like a glimpse at one of the most remote places on earth.
Purpose-built for service to the islands in 1990, this 6,767-ton, 344-ft ship normally sails northward from Cape Town to St. Helena and Ascension Island. Longer voyages, usually in March-April and September-October depart from Portland, Dorset, in the South of England, calling at Vigo and Tenerife en route to Ascension and St. Helena, and after a week on the island, onto Cape Town. The officers and staff are British and Saint Helenian, and the hospitality is likewise traditionally British. Cargo may include a school bus, building materials, catalog orders, postage stamps (sought after worldwide), and foodstuffs. Passengers may bring along their pets and automobiles.
The remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena was once an important stopping place for sailing ships to load fresh fruit and vegetables during the long journeys between Britain, Europe and Asia. When the Suez Canal opened in 1869, the island became largely abandoned. Then the local inhabitants, descendents of English, South Asians and Southeast Asians revived the agricultural and fishing industry. Until 1977, the island, a British dependency, was served by the mighty Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company on a regular monthly basis by large passenger-cargo vessels sailing between England and South Africa. When the service was abandoned, Curnow Shipping of Cornwall was formed to continue a link as the island has no airport. Now Andrew Weir Shipping provides the service under a contract with the British Government.
The majority of passengers are St. Helenians returning or leaving home with jobs abroad or medical appointments and government officials working on the island long- and short-term. Tourists include British, Europeans, South Africans and a few American round out the passenger list.
The one-way trip from Cape Town takes five nights, and passengers disembark at St. Helena to spend a week on the island while the ship makes a shuttle run to Ascension and back to pick up passengers who have flown there. The ship then returns to Cape Town. The twice-a-year voyage south from England (and vise versa) via Vigo, Tenerife, Ascension, St. Helena and Cape Town takes about a month and includes one week on St. Helena as the ship unloads a cargo and make a shuttle run to Ascension. One trip a year, which always sells out, calls at the even more remote island of Tristan da Cunha, midway in the South Atlantic between South Africa and South America. Be forewarned: Rough seas may prevent a passenger landing. When calling at St. Helena on any but the Tristan voyage, passengers generally disembark for about a week while the ship unloads cargo and makes a shuttle run to Ascension Island and back. Those who remain ashore stay either in one of two hotels in very Georgian-style historic Jamestown, in a country cottage, or in a self-catering apartment. Renting a car, and negotiating one lane, switchback roads, is a necessity if staying out of town. For some, the rugged island visit, with walks, drives, and Napoleonic connections, is as rich an experience as the old-fashioned ocean-liner voyage. The locals are very welcoming to visitors.
The forward lounge has a partitioned reading section and a cocktail lounge with a VCR for films and travel videos. The aft sun lounge opens to the pool. Entertainment includes such old-fashioned shipboard activities as bingo, frog racing (wooden replicas tethered to a spring line), quizzes, dancing, and a most festive ceremony to mark the crossing of the equator. Social life takes on great importance because of the number of days at sea. The pool, aerobics classes, and deck tennis on the forward cargo hold keep passengers in shape. A playroom, souvenir shop, and laundry take care of basic needs.
The portholed dining room, on the lowest passenger deck, offers two sittings, and good British fare. Officers and the cruise director host several tables at dinner, served in two sittings. Continental breakfast and a light luncheon are taken in the sun lounge.
The plain A- and B-deck cabins have windows or portholes, two, three or four berths, decent stowage, and showers. C Deck budget cabins, with sinks and shared showers, are designed for islanders, who pay subsidized fares, but cost-conscious travelers can also book them when they are available.
This ship offers a one-of-a-kind true ocean voyage for the adventurous. More importantly, she provides an essential service to some of the remotest inhabited places on this planet.
